Real wireless charging might finally be here

Posted on March 10, 2015

Wi-Charge’s approach combines two technologies to do its thing, which is beam power to devices from as far as 30 feet away: infrared lasers and retroreflector mirrors. No, it won’t fry whatever gets in the way of the beam. Yes, you can put your device almost anywhere and still receive the charging beam.

Wi-Charge, which is now seeking hardware manufacturers to license its technology and get it into products in 2016 or 2017, hopes that mobile devices, wireless stereos, and Internet of things/home-automation devices from smoke detectors to cameras will adopt the technology.

As we add more electronic gadgets to our homes, in places without power outlets, the appeal of this technology is strong. In Wi-Charge’s approach, people would need wall-mounted chargers to power devices on walls or ceilings, and ceiling-mounted chargers to power items on desks and tables to deliver the power they need.

Recognizing that people will not tear out drywall and hire an electrician to run new electrical wiring to such chargers, the company is working on chargers that are also LED light bulbs, so you can install the ceiling versions in ceiling cans and other such lighting fixtures as a bulb replacement. The wall-mounted chargers would likely plug into existing wall outlets.